Los exámanes y un viaje al norte

HELP ME RONDA, GET HER OUT OF MY HEART!
Never did I consider that Ronda, a city of which I knew little up until the day before my excursion, would be so beautiful! Beyond the typical Aldalucian architecture, Ronda had a certain charm thanks to its mountains, valleys and precious terrain. We saw the plaza de toros, where the bull fights take place, as well as a Catholic church, built over the site of a former mosque, dedicated to Mary and her sorrows. During our free time, we took a trail from the top of the bridge down to the river where we saw a most spectacular view of a waterfall and old ruins. The weather, too, was just continuing to cool down and the breeze indicated that fall, in all its glory, was here to stay.

EN HABLAR CON MI SEÑORA
Over the last week, I have had several wonderful conversations with Carmen. On Friday night, while she was making me dinner, we were talking about practicing Spanish. In the middle of a sentence, my cell phone rang and my friend Nathalie was on the other end. I answered with the common Spanish phrase “díme,” which means “talk to me,” (or as English speakers more politely say “hello,”) and we proceeded to make plans for the evening. At the same time, Carmen was laughing in the background while I arranged to meet Nathalie to watch a movie. After I hung up the phone, Carmen explained that I reminded her of a British student she hosted many years ago who would speak nothing but Spanish, and she said she was proud of me. Carmen also seems to think my Spanish is much better than it really is. When I asked her if she would correct my grammar, said she doesn’t need to and that I can hold my own. Lies, I tell you, lies! But at least she thinks I have improved since I arrived, which makes me feel better.

On Sunday morning, I woke up much later than I normally do on a school day, so Carmen and I ate breakfast together. She asked me it I was content living with her, and of course I said “yes!” She said she enjoyed having me live with her and that I could tell my parents that “Carmen is happy with me.” Carmen then explained that she gets along well with young people, and I had to laugh because I absolutely love working with older people! She enjoyed hearing about my summer work experience and I realized I must be living with Carmen for a reason.

Over our toast, tea and café, Carmen commented to me that she was glad I met some “good” people here in Spain and she doesn’t have to worry about me being with strange Spaniards. She is glad I know a lot of people in the church and through the CLM. She also added that she finds the church and the people, according to my explanations, quite different from the type of church she is used to here in Spain; she says we spend time together outside of services and genuinely care for one another—she had never heard of anything like it! We proceeded to talk about religion, faith and society here in Spain and before I knew it I had to hurry up and run to the Iglesia Bautista lest I be late for Sunday school.

BON JOUR! ¿QUÉ TAL? ¿Y TU FAMILIA?
On Sunday evening, I was finishing up my dinner and getting ready to begin studying for my exams. Carmen was headed out for her weekly outing to meet friends or “to go out to the street,” as we say when we leave the house. Finally, I was left home alone! Now, if you leave some kids home alone, they invite their crazy friends over and make a mess. If you leave me in an apartment all by myself, I have a tendency to kick back, relax and find a movie to watch in Spanish! ¡Qué divertido! Carmen closed the door behind her and no sooner than hearing the lock click did I clear off the dinner table, put some leftover chicken in the refrigerator and scurry over to the television to peruse her collection of videos. I was thrilled by the possibilities for the evening: old movies like “Sabrina,” “Charade” and “Operation Petticoat” or Disney classics like “Robin Hood,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Alice in Wonderland.” I was at the moment of making my final decision, with Belle falling for the Beast in my left hand and Audrey Hepburn falling for Humphrey Bogart in my right hand. Obviously, there was far too my falling happening because my eyes suddenly fell upon a little red light blinking on the VCR—the REC light. Carmen was recording some program off the television, and my movie night would just have to wait. Really, I needed to continue reading about bull fights, unemployment, tomato-throwing fiestas and gypsies for my exam.

On Tuesday night, Carmen went out to dinner with her daughter and a friend and my wish finally came true! I pulled out “Beauty and the Beast” and listened intently while Spaniards imitated French accents and alternately switched from the French phrases in the film to Spanish. My favorite part was one of the lines in the opening song, “Bon jour! Good day! How is your family?” that obviously needed to be changed to “Bon jour! ¿Qué tal? ¿Y tu familia?” Oh languages! When Carmen came home, we watched the last fifteen minutes together and sighed like silly school girls. Disney romances are just as powerful in Spanish, I must say.

LOS EXÁMENES—COMPLETADOS. ¡AL NORTE!
As I write at this moment, my final exams are complete! I think I studied (just maybe) a little too much for my Spanish culture exam, but I am thrilled that I survived my grammar exam as well. Pretty soon I will be heading home to my apartment to pack for a week-long vacation with Rebecca to England, Scotland and Ireland! I honestly cannot wait to meet the queen, see some castles and pet some sheep in the countryside. No, really, I plan to see everything I can while I am there! It should be a lovely trip and on top of all of that, I will get to visit my friend Amy Hunt who lives in England and studies in Exeter! Please say a prayer for our travels, for steady exchange rates and for some sunshine (although the last one is a bit more of a challenge in the UK).

Love and prayers from your ever-excited traveler,
Diana